Highway, city outskirts turn into dumping ground

Instead of taking the garbage to the Karsada dumping ground, which is a part of solid waste management (SWM) plant, Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) is dumping city’s garbage along the river bed, low land available in residential areas.

TNN | Sep 24, 2012, 04.14 AM IST

VARANASI: Instead of taking the garbage to the Karsada dumping ground, which is a part of solid waste management (SWM) plant, Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) is dumping city's garbage along the river bed, low land available in residential areas, along the highways leading to the city and also in the some parts of the main city such as near bridges and regional collection centres (RCCs).

While VMC has identified the banks of river Varuna near Nakkhighat as its new dumping ground, officials also accept that present disposal of waste is not proper but there is no other option to deal with the city waste.

According to additional municipal commissioner, Sachidanand Singh, the dumping of garbage has become a serious problem since SWM plant is not functional. "It will take around three months to decide the fate of the SWM plant. Moreover, the dumping grounds are selected keeping in mind the population density of the area. It is mostly dumped in city's outskirts. Once the garbage is dumped, insecticide is sprayed to control the infection and foul smell. Garbage is also covered with clay or mud in various areas", informed Singh.

When TOI tried to take a stock of garbage disposal, shocking facts surfaced. While passing through Nakkhighat bridge is a difficult task due to the spread of foul smell caused by heavy dumping of garbage, locals are bound to dwell in such an unhygienic condition. According to a local resident Ram Dulari, the area was already devoid of hygienic conditions, now the garbage dumped will surely pose threat to health and well being of locals. "The river was already facing threat, now when the garbage is being dumped here, soon it will be encroached by anti-social elements or local land sharks and they will start construction in this area", said Rahul, a daily commuter. It must be mentioned here that this area is densely populated and linked with Pahadiya, Pandeypur, Sarnath roads and other trans-Varuna localities.

More shocking was to see that none of the norms of garbage dumping, as claimed by Singh, was evident at any places, which have been converted into garbage dumping points in and around the city. Apart from Nakkhighat area, VMC is dumping city's waste at Satyabalpur village and Udaipur village of Cholapur block, while garbage is also being taken to Seer Govardhan village.

At the same time, VMC does not have a pre-structured plan for proper dumping of the garbage and is playing hide and seek with villagers in city outskirts. Due to protest by the villagers against garbage dumping near their village, VMC use to change the dumping sites.

Bachche Lal Chaubey, a native of Udaipur village, said, "Around 1000 MT garbage was dumped in our village overnight. The area where the garbage was being dumped was in close vicinity of primary school, rural households and farming fields. We protested and the dumping stopped but now it is being dumped in small pockets on the main road". Heavy deposits of garbage was also found scattered along the highways connecting city with other neighbouring districts.

Interestingly, the villagers revealed that even after the arrival of A2Z the VMC had been dumping garbage in these areas for more than a year. "The garbage dumping has disturbed the routine life of villagers as no trader, farmers, and relatives from near by villages want to come to our village. The problem of foul smell is also faced equally in neighbouring Undi village as well", informed Sanjay.

Apart from unplanned dumping of garbage in the city outskirts, heavy deposit of solid waste is also lying in several areas including main road in front of Cantonment Railway Station, Kashi Vidyapeeth road, Lanka, Ravindrapur, Rewari Talab, Beniabagh, Sonia and Sonarpura areas of the city.

According to Singh, there are 18 RCCs and each of them carry the load of around 5 to 6 localities and in total carrying 500 MT of garbage each day. Despite the heavy deposition of waste in collection centres, garbage was found unattended at most of the RCCs. Besides, the collection centres lying in main parts of the city like Nai Sarak, Godwolia, Rewari Talab, Sonarpura are posing serious threat to the shopkeepers and locals. According to Javed, a shopkeeper at Nai Sarak area, the sale in his shop has decreased to almost 20 percent as customers avoid enter his shop due to spread of foul smell. In fact garbage was also found heavily dumped in Sonarpura and Maldahiya areas in close vicinity of the schools. "The garbage dumping outside the educational institution can not be overlooked. We have written about it to concerned authorities", informed Dr Maya Singh, principal, Government Girls Inter College at Maldahiya.

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